Art of finishing cloth



(No Model.)

1n. GESSNER.

ART 0F PINISHING CLOTH.'

No. 887,294. Patented Aug. 7, 1888.

veither in conjunction with the ,UNITED .STA-TES' il PATENT Orr-Fica.,I

DAVID GESSNER, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

ART or` FiNisl-nNe CLOTH.

sPn'cIPIcA-rIoN'forming pattof Letters Patent No. 387,294, daten August l7, leas.-

Application filed May 2'6, `1886. Renewed June 16, 1888. Serial No. $277,359. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DAVID G-EssNEn, of

Worcester; county of Worcester, State of Mas-l sachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Art of Finishing Cloth, of which the following is a specification.

The invention which is the subject of this application is an art or process whereby I propose to greatly improve the character of cloth which has been subjected to finishing in automatic pressing-machines, such as the rotary or automatic plate-machines in use.

In an application led June 16, 1888, Serial No. 277 ,349, I have described the machine in which I prefer to carry out this process, and it will be unnecessary for me in this application to repeat the complete description of the machine. I will therefore only describe such parts of it as are actually essential for carrying out the process, referring to the said other application for a description of the means by which these parts are operated.

' In the rotary and automatic plate-presses heretofore in use it has been customary to subject the cloth to successive pressures. Sometimes before being subjected to the first pressure the cloth has been steamed, and sometimes it has been steamed after having been subjected to the last pressure.

- I propose to subject the cloth to successive pressures and subject it to steaming or moistening intermediate the pressures, andV preferably, also, to subject it to steaming or moistening before the first pressure and after the last pressure, either one or both. Thereby the weight of the goods is maintained, their appearance and feeling are improved, and the fibers are so set and'ixed as to produce a lasting finish.

-It will also be observed from'the following description that the steam or moisture is deposited or conveyed on the cloth while it is in contact with a .heated-surface, as the surface of the gylinder, and this constitutes a feature of my nventiou which may be usefully applied feature first named or otherwise. i

I will now proceed to describe an apparatus by which my process may be carried out;

but the-apparatus for pressing and the apparatus for conveying the moisture or steam into lthe cloth and any other apparatus employedv may be changed or modified without departing from my process, which I do not consider as limited to any apparatus or form of apparatus.

In the drawings I have shown various arrangements of cylinder, bedplates,and steamer by which my process canbe carried out, and I have also shown an arrangement by which the invention can be applied in connection with an automatic plate-press. drawings, which relate-to a rotary press, a is thecylindcr. The bed-plates are represented by b b', Src. The steamer or steamers are rcpresented by c c', 85e., and the direction of the cloth is indicated by a single unbroken line.

"Ihe cylinder is made hollow, so that steam may be admitted into itsinterior for heating it, and each one of the bed-plates is likewise made' hollow for the same purpose.` The steamer employed may be of any construction suitable for supplying moisture to cloth.

In Figure 1 is shown a single cylinderin combination with two bed-plates. rOne steamer, c', is arranged so as to throw moisture into the cloth as it passes from pressure exerted' by one bed-plate to the pressure exerted by the other bed-plate. Another steamer, c, isI arranged adjacent to the path of the cloth as it enters the first pressure, so as to throw moisture into the cloth before it is subjected to the first pressure. And the third steamer, c?, is arranged adjacent to the path of the cloth as it leaves the last pressure.

In the subsequent figures I have omitted the representation of any steamers before the first and after the last pressure; but it will be understood that they may be employed,if desired.

In Fig. 2 is shown a cylinder with three bed- `latesv arranged around it and a steamer interposed between the second and third ,bedplate, so as to throw moisture into the cloth between its second and third pressures.

Fig. 3 shows a cylinder with three bed-plates arranged-about it and the steamer arranged intermediate the first and second bed-plates.

Fig. 4 shows a cylinder with four bed-plates and the steamer interposed between the second and third bed-plates.

In all of these IOO 2 l .l sense but in connection with this combination is employed a sheet-metal jacket which 'extends across the face of each bed-plate and from one bed-plate to theother. This sheet-metal '5 jacket may be used not only with two bedplates, as shown in this figure, but with the arrangements shown in the other figures. Where the sheet-metal jacket is employed, it -will be perforated between the two bed-plates :o where its exterior surface is exposed, and the steamer will be applied opposite these perforations and close up to the bed-plate, so that the moisture willv be thrown upon the cloth through the perforations. Where there are r 5 more than two b'ed;plates,I may use more than onesteamer, interposing the same between y the bed-plates and regulating the number in accordance with the class of goods finished.

In Fig. 7 I have shown the application of zo my invention to a machine in which endless traveling belts or jackets are employed for carrying the goods between the pressing-surfaces. vHere the belts are lettered d d. Itwill be observed that in all these cylinder-presses the \cloth is traveling through the machine (being carried along .in contact with the heated sur- 4face of the cylinder) while the moisture is being applied lto it, whereby each portion receives moisture for practically the same length 3o of time, and the moisture is applied while the cloth is in contact with the heated surface of vthe cylinder. By this mode of operation the heat aids in diiusing lthe moisturein the cloth audopposes condensation, while the surface A against which the cloth lies confines the moisture in the body of the cloth and assists in preventing its escape at the surface.

. Inl Fig. 8,1 hav-e'shown an arrangement in 4which my invention is applied toa plate-press.` 4oluthis-casethe cloth ispressed between two I plain pressi ngt-surfaces and then again between -two other pressing-surfaces, and in -some instances again between a,v third pair' of ,pressing-surfaces, andz-so on. In this drawing there are three pairs of pressingsurfaces, the 'first -pair being'provided `-by the upper surface of the press-platea and thelower surface of pressj plate a', the second' pairA by the upper surface -of 'al vand thelower surface of a,'and the third 5o paiil` bythe upper surface of a andthe lower surface of ai; The clothis passed'between the first pair of `pressing-surfacesl and then around a guide-roller, b, at the end, back between the second pair of pressinglsurfaces, and thence 'around the: guide-roller b and forward again betweenthe third pair ofpressing-surfaces.

- In this case I place -one steamer, c, adjacent to the pathjof the cloth as itleaves the Yfirst pair of pressingsurfaces, 'so asft'o throw moisture 5o into the cloth at that point.A Another steamer may -be placed adjacent to Ithe 'path' of the clothfas it leaves the second pair Aof pressing- I amawarethat is' 'possible tb'dnceive '6 5 otherarrangements in, la'dditiont'o thosewhich Ihave illustrated in which my invention may lsteamer suitable for thepurposes of this iuvpressures to which it is subj ected mayfbe men- `per and the cloth andthe subsequent cooling being deprived thereby of moisture, instead of be carried out;'but it will be unnecessary to illustrate any others, since the above are sufficient to indicate the scope of the application of the steaming or moistening of the cloth in- 7o termediate the pressures to which it is subjected in finishing.

It will be observed that the surfaces between which the cloth is pressed, as shown in the drawings, are heated surfacesthis being ac- 7 5 complished by filling the chambers within the cylinder and plates with steam-` Figi 9 represents a longitudinal section of a vention. Fig. 10 shows a cross-section of the 80 same through the center.

e is a troughshaped inclosure which iscov; ered at its' to'p byaperforated copper or brass plate or a wire-gauze, and preferably, also, by a felt or woolen cloth, as shown atf.

gis a steam-pipe With`.perforations under neath, from which the 'steam is discharged downward into the receptacle e.

h h are shields or deflectors, which project with a downward inclination from' the sides of the receptacle and overlap one another, as shown, so as to cause the steam to takea zigzag course in ascending.-

z is a drip-pipe for the escape of water. j is a receptacle through which the steam passes for preliminary drying before it enters pipe g. It is'discharged into receptacle j from the nozzle k beneath the deliector l, by whichv '1 some of the water is thrown pown'and runs v. out at the pipe m. rIhe stean passes on into`v` thepipe'snn.

The form of the receptacle e which I have shown is adapted for steaming upward, asin Fig. 6, andwill be varied by giving suitable curvation to its upper portion, when desired, *'105 yto steamin' otherpositions, as in the other figures. l 1 'y Among the advantages' due to mylprocess .of steaming or moistening cloth intermediate the I IO tioned theffollowing: The. automatic pressesv which have heretofore been in-vuse, and' espe-"'- v cially the rotary presses', have been objected to l' principally because the intense vpressure to which the cloth was subjected *between hot bare metallic surfaces hada .tendency to d eprive the cloth of its moisture to such an ex- Atent as .todestroy very largely its" body and weight andmake it feel limp or baked and undesirable. `In this respect.the cloth finished in the automatic'presses has been inferior to the cloth which has been finishedy in the oldfashioned lpaper-presses,in which the moisture o f the paper andthe contact between the pa'- j while under pressure secured in theii-nishe'd' cloth superior qualities -i-n the respects already v f referred to. By my invention the cloth, after being subjected' to the first hot-pressure, and

passingr directly in the same stateto asnbse quent pressurey is treated bythe steam'erou always be in motion past the steamer, the object being to 'prevent the formation of any spots on the cloth by too great moistcniug at any one point. y

The object is that the moisture or damp ness shall be applied to the cloth uniformly throughout.

`I am aware of English latent No. 2,039 of 1854. I do not desire to claim the process there set forth. One feature of' distinction -is that the said English patent contemplates no pressing after. pressing and steaming. The only operation succeeding what is indicated as a possible steaming is a inangling operation,which is well known as producing an entirely different el'cct from pressing. Another feature of distinction is that the operation is interrupted immediately after the pressing by winding the cloth on a winding-roller, which has to be transferred to another position in the machine and bcunwound again before the possible steaming and manglingoperations can fake place. mentioned more or less affecting practical operation; but the above will be sufficient to distinguish it from my claims.

[i am alsoV aware that English Patent No. 3,230 of 1871 was issued before mylinvention. Said patent suggests as a modification cylinders removed from each other and each provided with a bed plate. A steamer is placed midway between two of the cylinders at a distance from each, and the clothis conducted over the steamer. The cylinder and bed-plate succeeding-the steamer are cold or cooled by cold water, intended to give a cold pressure by the cylinder and bed-plate to the cloth. This operation would be impraeticable and detrimental to the cloth. Among other reasons,

Vface of the bed-plate.

Other features might be the humidity contained in the heated cloth when it reached the cold cylinder anidbedplate would condense on the cold surfaces, causing the cloth to stick fast, clog the inachine, and to be stained, puckered, stretched, and eventually torn by the revolving surface of the cylinder moving across the fixed snr- The hot moisture from the steamer would only increase the dilliiculty.

\Vhat l claim, and desire to secure by Let* ters. Patent, is-

1. The art o1' process of finishing cloth,con ssting of' subjecting the same to a hot-press ing and then to a steaming or moisfening, and subsequent] y to another liet-pressing, substantially as deseri bed.

2. The art or process of' finishing cloth, consisting of subjecting the same to a steaming or moistening and then to a hotpressing, and then to steaming or moistening, and then to another het pressing, substantially as described.

3. The art or process of finishing cloth, eon i sisting of subjecting the same to a steaming or moistening, then to a hot-pressing, then to a second steaming or moistening, then to a sccond hot-pressing, and then to a third steaming or moistening, substantially as described.

4. The art or process of finishing cloth, eonsisting of subjecting the same to a hot-pressing, then to a steaming or moistening, then to a second hot-pressing, and then to a second steaming or moistcniug,substantially as described.

5. The art orproccss of finishing cloth, which consists of subjecting the same to a steamingor moistening after it has received a pressing and While it is traveling in contact with a heated surface, substantially as de- 

